HARIPUR: Keeping up with his promise of planting 10 billion trees in Pakistan, Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government launched a one-day plantation campaign called ‘Plant for Pakistan’ on Sunday.
According to the PTI’s official Twitter account, about 1.5 million trees are being planted on Sunday under the campaign as part of government’s 10 billion tree tsunami programme.
Prime Minister Imran Khan formally launched “Ten Billion Tree Tsunami” campaign by planting a sapling in Haripur on Sunday.
Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Mehmood Khan was also present on the occasion.
“The purpose of the campaign is to encourage people, communities, organisations, business [and] industry, civil society and government to collectively plant trees,” according to the government of Pakistan’s social media account.
Minister for Railways Sheikh Rashid Ahmad planted a sapling at Koral Chowk in Islamabad. Whereas, Balochistan chief minister Jam Kamal launched the plantation drive in Balochistan.
About 1.5 million trees will be planted today under the campaign as part of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government’s ten billion tree Tsunami 2018 drive.
The purpose of the campaign is to encourage people, communities, organizations, business and industry, civil society and government to collectively plant trees, adviser to Prime Minister Malik Amin Aslam had said earlier while chairing a meeting at the Ministry of Climate Change.
The day would also create awareness about benefits of forests and increasing greenery in big cities of the country, he added.
In a video message, Advisor to Prime Minister on Climate Change, Amin Aslam encouraged Pakistanis to participate in the campaign and share their pictures on social media.
Aslam planted a tree at a basic health unit in Attock and initiated the 10 billion tsunami tree plantation drive.
He said people are being provided free of cost saplings for plantation at one hundred and ninety distribution points across the country.
Government departments, Armed Forces, NGOs, students and a large number of citizens are participating in today’s plantation drive.
Moreover, people across the country were also provided saplings to plant them and play their part in ensuring a greener tomorrow.
In Multan’s Kacheri Chowk, at least 10,000 saplings were distributed to the public.
As many as 200,000 trees were planted in Peshawar. Some private schools even asked students to come to school on Sunday and participate in the plantation drive. The government had distributed 30 plants each to different schools in the city.
Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid remarked that the timber mafia poses a big threat to forests in Pakistan.
“When nothing is happening in the country, trees are cut without any reason,” he said while addressing an event in Islamabad. “The timber mafia is operational in the country.”
PM Imran Khan had appealed to young people to leave their houses and save Pakistan and we hope people listen to him, Rashid added.
Deputy Commissioner Peshawar Dr. Imran Hamid Sheikh inaugurated the campaign by planting a sapling in a government school.
During the campaign, two hundred thousand saplings will be planted in different areas of Provincial Capital.
People are being provided free of cost saplings for plantation at three different distribution points in Peshawar.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Imran Khan is proving himself a man of his word, as he has called a meeting on Monday (tomorrow) to discuss the implementation of his promised five million houses’ construction for the public.
Under the chairmanship of PM Khan, the experts from the construction department will attend the meeting to chalk out a strategy to build houses across the country.
According to details, most of the houses will be constructed in Karachi. The ministry of Housing has been informed of the land required for the construction of houses.
PM Khan has rolled up his sleeves to improve the situation of the country. But, he has been especially putting significant efforts to cope with looming economic crisis of Pakistan.
On Saturday, he constituted an 18-member Economic Advisory Council to ensure the availability of best possible professional advice to the government.
The council would help to optimise and synergise the formulation and implementation of economic and financial policies of the government.
It comprises some of the most learned and well-respected experts, academics and practitioners of the field who are currently serving in, or have rich experience with, amongst the most advanced academic institutions and other specialised organisations in Pakistan and abroad.
The private sector members include Dr Farrukh lqbal, Dr Ashfaque Hassan Khan, Dr ljaz Nabi, Dr Abid Qayyum Suleri, Dr Asad Zaman, Dr Naved Hamid, Syed Salim Raza, Sakib Sherani, Dr Atif R Mian, Dr Asim ljaz Khawaja, and Dr lmran Rasul.
Official members are the minister for finance, revenue & economic affairs, the minister for planning and development, the secretary of the finance division, the governor state bank, the adviser on institutional reforms, the adviser on commerce and the deputy chairman of planning commission.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Imran Khan Sunday constituted a committee for holding in-depth discussions and formulating a proposed structure of the local government bodies within one week.
The recommendations of the committee would be scrutinised and presented before the assemblies of the respective provinces for their consideration. The prime minister directed that the process of finalising recommendations for initiating legislation process should be completed within one month.
The decision was taken during a meeting on local government (LG) system at the Prime Minister’s Office. Imran in his remarks said the transfer of power at the grassroots level and empowering people in a real sense was the main plank of PTI’s reform agenda.
He said the past practice of centralisation of power into few hands and at times, into one individual, had not only deprived the people of any meaningful say in the government’s affairs but had also stripped the people of their right to have adequate resources for their development.
Detailed presentations were made and threadbare discussions followed during the meeting on the local government system which was introduced in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by the PTI government for empowering people at the grassroots level and the proposed system to be replicated in other provinces.
The process of finalizing recommendations for initiating legislation process should be completed within one month, directed the Prime Minister.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Imran Khan Sunday chaired a meeting on the issue of security and facilitation of the Zaireen at the Prime Minister’s Office.
The meeting was attended by Chief Minister Balochistan Jam Kamal Khan, MoS for Interior Shahryar Afridi, Secretary to Prime Minister, Secretary Interior, Secretary Religious Affairs, Chief Secretary Balochistan and senior government officers.
The Prime Minister observed that the security of the Zaireen, visitng holy places abroad, is a foremost priority and no effort should be spared in providing fool-proof security and ensuring proper facilitation of the Zaireen.
The Prime Minister directed that a comprehensive action plan should be chalked out, in consultation with all stakeholders, within 48 hours for the security of Zaireen visiting Iran, Iraq and other holy places during the coming month of Moharram.
The Prime Minister directed that immigration counters at Pak-Iran border should be enhanced to facilitate Zaireen in speedy immigration process.
The Prime Minister further directed that a permanent mechanism should also be evolved to streamline the entire operations of Zaireen for the future.
In this context, the Prime Minister directed Minister of State Shehryar Afridi to coordinate with Chief Minister Balochistan and other stakeholders including the security forces and Ministry of Religious Affairs, to streamlining the process and ensure provision of maximum facilitation to the visiting Zaireen.
He further directed that a comprehensive time bound action plan with delineated responsibilities may be submitted for his approval to regulate the matter.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Imran Khan Sunday said he had told his ministers to prioritise the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government’s 100 Days Agenda programme.
Imran was referring to his meetings with Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar and members of the provincial cabinet that took place in Lahore.
“We are determined to change governance in Pak, focusing on austerity, anti-corruption & meritocracy,” the prime minister said in a Twitter message.
Imran said he also met former inspector general of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police, Nasir Khan Durrani, who is heading the police reforms task force in Punjab.
“I told him his first priority must be to depoliticise the Punjab police force,” the prime minister told of his meeting with Durrani.
The 100 Days Agenda document includes judicial reforms, depoliticisation of police, tax reforms, health emergency, education emergency and reforms in agriculture sector. – NNI